1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable electronic devices and, more particularly, to providing status information on a portable electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, portable electronic devices, such as cellular phones, portable digital assistants or portable media players, have provided visual clues regarding certain device status conditions. For example, battery-powered portable electronic devices frequently display a visual indication of battery status. The visual indication typically indicates the extent to which the battery is charged (i.e., battery level). Additionally, cellular phones can not only provide such a visual indication of battery level but also provide an auditory, periodic beeping sound during a call in process to alert the user when battery level is particularly low.
Unfortunately, however, users often interact with media players while wearing earphones or headphones. For example, users might also use the media player to listen to audio sounds via the earphones or headphones. In such cases, the users will likely not be able or interested to view a display screen that displays a visual indication of battery level. Still further, some portable media players do not even include a display screen. Consequently, any device status being displayed will conventionally not likely be received by the user of the media player.
Thus, there is a need for improved techniques to inform users about device status of portable media players.